Gayogohó:nǫˀ Learning Project

About Us

We are a partnership of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people working to promote awareness and practice of the Gayogohó:nǫˀ (Cayuga) language in its ancestral homeland and beyond. We hope to carry the idea of sgę́:nǫˀ gó:wah, the Great Peace, into our work, cultivating peace and cooperation through education and community outreach. Our partnership is based on a vision in which Indigenous and non-Indigenous people travel separate but parallel paths to engage in peaceful coexistence.

The Gayogohó:nǫˀ Learning Project is a fiscally sponsored project of the Center for Transformative Action (CTA). CTA, an educational 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is legally and financially responsible for all our project activities.

Our Project

The Gayogohó:nǫˀ Learning Project seeks to complement and amplify existing Gayogohó:nǫˀ (Cayuga) language revitalization efforts from within Gayogohó:nǫˀ ancestral lands by supporting educational programs, providing access to language resources, and increasing opportunities to hear and see the Gayogohó:nǫˀ language in public spaces. Through this work of tangibly teaching and using the Gayogohó:nǫˀ language in the place it developed, and by creating opportunities for dialogue around difficult topics such as colonization, we hope to increase understanding of the history and current status of Gayogohó:nǫˀ people, language, and culture. A key part of our work lies in providing support for Gayogohó:nǫˀ people and others working to revitalize the Gayogohó:nǫˀ language. Through our work we hope to both explore and spread awareness of ways in which Gayogohó:nǫˀ and other Hodinǫhsǫ:nih languages and cultures are connected to the land of the Finger Lakes and explore ways in which all people might cultivate healthy relationships with the land.

Our Vision

Through education and outreach activities based out of Onǫdi:yo:geh (Ithaca, NY area), we aim to ensure that:

The critically endangered Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ language is revitalized to be heard and spoken locally and throughout North America. Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ people are able to speak their history in their own voices. A productive dialogue grows between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people through exploration of the connections between land, culture, and language. The Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ language has a renewed presence in its ancestral lands. A network of supportive relationships develops with like-minded organizations undertaking similar or complementary language revitalization work.